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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26492128">Books, Covers and all that Jas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TextileTown/pseuds/TextileTown'>TextileTown</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Little Witch Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Heart-to-Heart, Identity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:47:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,685</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26492128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TextileTown/pseuds/TextileTown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Amanda talks to Jasminka when she finds out how the school sees her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Books, Covers and all that Jas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A little personal reflection on trying to see people with fresh eyes and without assumptions.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luna Nova is a school like no other. It exists in a world where magic once upon a time would be carried on every sun beam and fall with every rain drop. Those days of magical milk and honey are gone, Luna Nova School For Witches carries on. Like some sprawling Gothic cathedral it sits in stately majesty amid a great forest. It is home to over a hundred girls and young women learning the ancient ways. </p>
<p>There is no physical difference between witches and ordinary people, they are just as human as anyone, it is however an exceptional thing to become a witch. For witchcraft is passed down through families and anyone outside those families will find little help in learning their ways or attending their schools. This does not make witches an entirely insular group. Husbands can be from any walk of life and witches live across the globe and come from dozens of countries to study at Luna Nova.</p>
<p>One morning in early September, high in one of the school's cramped attic dorm rooms, Amanda O'Neill returned from the dinning hall to find one of her room-mates alone and working at her desk.</p>
<p>“Hey Jas, what's you up to?” Amanda said as she flopped on their absent room-mates' bed. </p>
<p>Stretched out Amanda gave the impression of being taller than she was, with long limbs and the confident demeanour that Americans seem to find with greater ease than other nationalities. Her face had spent the last five years of adolescence trying to decide between being striking or strikingly beautiful; finally, very much like the girl, it had rebelled against either option and was settling on a roguish femininity, that, coupled with her spiky red hair, made her a very noticeable sixteen year old.</p>
<p>To the question her friend Jasminka 'Jas' Antonenko gave the respect of a pause and delayed eating the ready salted crisp in her hand. She told Amanda it was homework - homework that was due the next day. The hint given it was time to deliver the patient crisp to her tummy. For many Jasminka was simple to describe and easy to pass over. In the school she was known for her love of food, full figure and little else. What others thought of her had little bearing on her thoughts, unless they made the effort to befriend her, in which case she cared about them deeply.</p>
<p>The two girls carried on in silence. Jasminka pondering whether to pop to the dorm next door and ask their friend Lotte for help with the homework. Amanda trying to forget the assignment and process the thoughts that had occupied her for the last half hour. </p>
<p>“Hey Jas, you got a second?” Amanda asked, twisting her head to see her friend facing away from her as she studied the troublesome equations. </p>
<p>Jasminka stopped as it was clear Lotte's assistance would be required and began to put her stuff away, “Sure Amanda, what is it?”</p>
<p>“If you're busy ya know, it's fine”</p>
<p>“No, I'm a bit lost so a break would be good”</p>
<p>“Cool” Amanda said holding the last syllable. </p>
<p>With the fluidity Amanda's decade of dancing had imbued her with she moved to sit on the bed, legs stretched and crossed in front of her and hands gripping the covers either side of her.</p>
<p>“It's stupid, but ya know, be honest with me...does everyone think – think that I'm gay?” Amanda said as her upper teeth began to nervously rove over her bottom lip. A quick glance right to Jasminka and then forward at the messy sheets on the bed opposite.</p>
<p>The rustle of crisp packet lowering and the squeak of chair turning gave Amanda cause for another quick look to her friend, this time with a brief unhappy grin as they made eye contact, to acknowledge this was a difficult topic. The pause that followed was not unusual when talking with Jasminka, she was often laconically careful with her words, especially on important matters.</p>
<p>“I can't read minds. I do hear gossip” was her reply delivered with the slightly singsong tone that her voice naturally carried.</p>
<p>“They were right then...” Amanda said with an air of defeat.</p>
<p>“Who was right?”</p>
<p>“Guess! I was in a hurry on the way to breakfast and came round a corner BANG into Mary - it was like some god damn comedy sketch, I reached my hands up to stop myself and accidentally grabbed - anyway you get the picture,” Amanda flicked her eyes to Jasminka to check the explanation was sufficient, “Mary was cool about it, you know her and Blair are cool, but they hang out with Avery and she hangs out with Hannah and Barbara,” Amanda drew breath at the mention of the troublesome pair, “...so they start laying in to me saying how – saying how everyone knows I'm a lesbian...ugh...then I said they should look in a mirror, then Avery weighs in...” Amanda finished and collapsed back on the bed, spreading her arms out wide.</p>
<p>“They think that because you do not act ladylike?” Jasminka asked with Siberian frankness.</p>
<p>“Err, I guess that's it, they kind of said so,” Amanda sat up and turned towards Jasminka as her speech became more passionate, “I can be feminine, I spent fifteen years being girly, ballet classes, rhythmic gymnastics...here, this was my chance to be me, I mean it's an all girls school, I thought it would be different, more accepting, less pressure to be sugar and spice twenty four seven. I can't win...if I pretend to be all girly it doesn't feel right and when I try something different that's messes up and people decide who I am without getting to know me”</p>
<p>“And we don't talk about boys do we, so you don't know what your friends think”</p>
<p>“Tell me about it! I mean you said your dad won't let you date until you're eighteen....and I love our gang, but none of them are ready for relationships and like...I'm supposed to tell everyone that back home I dated a guy for two years! Nah, I thought I'm so lucky to have such cool friends that I can put boys on hold for a year, well I hook up with this guy occasionally, actually kind of often this last month...you see this is why I can't talk about it!”</p>
<p>“Because we won't understand?”</p>
<p>“I don't know, yeah and I guess more that I wouldn't fit in the group, back in the States I went to a regular school and was a cheerleader and that's who I hung out with, you guys are so much cooler, but they'd get jealous over the stupidest thing...and I guess I didn't want to risk my friends here getting jealous of me”</p>
<p>With a swift heave Amanda sprang up and stretched as she paced around the room, eyes everywhere except Jasminka.</p>
<p>“Do you trust me Amanda?”</p>
<p>Amanda nodded.</p>
<p>Three minutes later their room-mate Constanze appeared after being summoned by Jasminka from the workshop in the school's cellar. She was a full head shorter than either of her friends and wore a scrowl almost as often as the pink bow that never left her hair. With an air of impatience she waited to be informed what she had been called for.</p>
<p>“Constanze,” Jasminka said “Amanda has a boyfriend”</p>
<p>“Hey wait, I never said...” Amanda began to protest until the notion to see Constanze's reaction over took her annoyance.</p>
<p>The taciturn Constanze raised a thumb to Amanda accompanied by a wink and the hint of a smile. </p>
<p>“Thanks Constanze, that means...ahh come here”</p>
<p>Amanda reached down before her friend could escape and gave her a squeeze. Constanze wriggled free as fast as possible and raising her eyebrows in disapproval returned to her workshop.</p>
<p>Jasminka then lead Amanda to the dorm next door. The three girls inside were engaged in their typical behaviour. The blonde haired and bespectacled Lotte was being helpful and correcting Akko's potion equations. The wide eyed Akko was experimenting if gravity always paid attention when girls rocked back on their chairs. The long haired Sucy was trying to ignore Akko and read the latest edition of Mushrooms Monthly magazine. Jasminka and Amanda's presence in the room was so common they were paid little attention until Jasminka said that Amanda had an announcement to make. </p>
<p>“Yeah, so in case you guys were wondering I like boys”</p>
<p>“And has a boyfriend” Jasminka added.</p>
<p>The silence was only as brief as the time it took for Akko's chair to come crashing down. Almost instantly followed by Lotte leaping up as if the hopes and dreams of the world had just walked in.</p>
<p>“A boyfriend!” Lotte erupted.</p>
<p>“Like a boy boyfriend who's a boy?” Akko asked from the floor.</p>
<p>“Pay-up you two, I win the bet” Sucy said blithely to her room-mates.</p>
<p>Akko and Lotte would not let Amanda go until they had heard some details. When the time was right Jasminka peeled Lotte off for her academic aid. Akko ran off late for a game of volleyball. Sucy then disengaged from her magazine to give Amanda a fist bump. </p>
<p>“He got any tall, dark and rich friends?” Sucy said with a slight smile.</p>
<p>“Short, skinhead and flipping burgers for minimum wage is the best I can do”</p>
<p>“I'll pass then” Sucy said and returned to her true love and buried her head in the magazine.</p>
<p>Amanda left the room stepped along the creaky floor boards and ignored the musty tinge of the ancient corridors. The game of volleyball was getting underway outside and she watched from one of the high window. Maybe she would see if they wanted an extra player. First she would find a quiet spot with reception for her cell phone and give Jack a quick call. He was not really her boyfriend, Jasminka had got that wrong, he was cool to hang out with and that was all she wanted. This year she should be there for her friends and now she had no doubt her friends would be there for her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks to Secretficjunkie for the inspiration to write this.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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